Forever and For Always
by JL Wrighton
Summary: A short EustacexJill fic, running from somewhere after "Silver Chair" to after "The Last Battle" I don't own Narnia, though I would love to, and I would appreciate reviews. Enjoy!


Eustace and I are strolling around a park in London's countryside. We're mostly enjoying the end of our summer vacation. It's been two years since we saved the Prince and both of us have been invited to come out to Aunt Polly's place for the summer. It had been the best summer either of us can remember. Everyone runs around Aunt Polly's house and grounds all day, chattering nonstop Narnia. There are almost no servants, and we don't have to worry about them telling anybody.

But I'm worrying. Ever since Eustace came back from his first trip, he started being nicer, even making lots of friends. And now he's all popular with the girls back at school. Albeit it doesn't hurt that he started filling out and according to some of my friends, "His hair got all wavy". He had gotten a lot of letters from them, even wrote back a few.

I guess I think that if he goes back to school and they all think he's cute, he'll started spending his time with them and he won't talk to me anymore.

Eustace is looking at me again. He's doing that a lot lately. I don't know why. "What are you thinking of?" Eustace asks. I fiddle with a piece of my hair, trying to think of a good answer to it. I gave up after a moment. "I was thinking about school, and how much all the girls are going to be all over you." I admit. Eustace's eyebrows shoot up. "Huh?" I elaborated. "Well, ever since you came back from Narnia the first time, you've been getting successively more popular with the girls, because you're so nice to everyone. And you got a lot of letters from girls this past summer." Eustace just looks confused. "You… you think I actually _care_ what those girls think of me?" he splutters.

Now it's my turn to be confused. "But I thought you wrote back some of those girls." He laughs softly, shaking his head. "Those letters? They were my attempt to gracefully decline a few invitations to go to visit some of the girls." I shrug. "Why did you say no?" He reaches over and takes my hand, shyly. "Cause I wanted to spend my summer with my favorite girl." I look up at him. "Me?" He nods silently. I look down our hands. He's holding mine like he never wants to let go. I shake my head. "Eustace, I like you." He smiles a wide smile. "And I like you too."

_(Several months later, behind the white rock in the Last Battle)_

It's been one of the happiest and saddest days of my life. Eustace is gone. They threw him into the stable where Tash has gone and if he were alive he would have come back out. The tears that stream down my face hurt, because some part of me says that Eustace has left Narnia forever. We all cower here, and the King raises a hand and calls for silence. "This is truly the end of Narnia." He says softly. "Many of our friends are lost to the feared Tash. As of this moment, I give leave to all of you, my kind and stalwart subjects, to run far and fast, to Lantern Waste and the mountains of Archenland. May the true Aslan preserve you, until Narnia may rise forth from the ashes." No one moved or spoke for a minute, until a young Dog reaches forward and hesitantly snuffles, as Dogs are known to do on occasion, into Tirian's hand. "We won't leave you sire. If we're all that's left of Narnia, we will stay with you." The animals and Tirian discuss some tactics of trying to break through the spears, while I twist an iron ring around my fourth finger.

Eustace gave it to me. He must've spent an hour last night rooting through the armory, looking for something. I think it's a ring off a saddle, but it fits my hand. He gave it to me this morning. "I don't think we're going to make it out of this alive. But this is all I could find. I want you to remember that no matter what, no matter what happens to us after we die, I love you." He had handed it to me, and I had put it on myself. I looked up at him, and say the fear behind his eyes. Not for him, but for what might happen to me if he couldn't be there to protect me. I took his hands and for the first time, he kissed my lips. We fell asleep on my bunk last night, with his arm thrown over my shoulder, still holding hands. When we woke up this morning, he didn't want to let go of my hand still. We held onto each other as long as we could.

But then the battle started. We got separated, and I lost him in the chaos till I heard him scream my name. "JILL!!" I turned, and in the midst of the battle, I saw him. Some Calormene was holding him, while another opened the Stable Door. Eustace and I locked eyes, and I saw him mouth the words, "I love you", one last time. I raised my left hand, where the thick ring sparkled dully, and I knew he understood. I heard Tirian call us back to the rocks, where we now stand.

So why is it happy and sad? I have Eustace's love for me, no matter where he is. But I don't know how we're going to make it. Tirian lays a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Jill, this is it. Thank you for everything you have done for me." With a mighty roar, we run forward again, all caution thrown aside. Our fighting force is tiny, and we know it won't last long, but we aren't going to sit back and watch.

So they fight. And I fight. But slowly, we are each forced into the Stable. I see brave Bear go, and several stags, whose legs are broken. And I know from the way they've shifted how they fight, that I am the next target. I try to avoid it, but without realizing it, I am much closer then intended. Someone throws open the door, and I am shoved through. There is a blinding flash of light, and then the world goes black…

Eustace woke up to a bright world. "Is this heaven?" he whispers. A merry laugh peels out from behind him. "No, but methinks it like heaven." Eustace turns around, reaching for his sword. It is the tall man who spoke. He is dressed in fine clothes, with a large gold beard, and somehow, he seemed familiar. "Who are you?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. A blond lady movs forward. "Don't you recognize your own Aunt Polly?" she asks, arms open for a hug. "Aunt Polly?" He rushes forward to give her a hug, but looks around. Several others are standing around, and he now recognizes them. Peter, Edmund, Lucy, and Uncle Digory are all dressed in the fashion of Narnia. Eustace steps back hastily, realizing that all the dirt and blood of battle must still be all over him. "Sorry Aunt Polly, I forgot I so dirty…" His voice trails away as he realizes that he's dressed like them. "What happened?" he asks, puzzled. Lucy laughs. "It's magic you silly goof. We just got here about 10 minutes ago." Eustace keeps looking around. There isn't anyone else here just yet, except one person, sitting on the ground under a tree far off. "Who is that?" Edmund glances over his shoulder. "That? That is Susan. She showed up here a bit after we did, looking all confused. We think she's still a bit disoriented. She doesn't seem to remember any of us." Eustace turns around, and for the first sees a door. It doesn't lead to anywhere, but it's not far from where he was when he woke up. "Is that the Door?" he asks. Peter nods and Eustace moves toward it as it opens. For a brief moment, everyone sees a dirty and bloody Jill, holding a long dagger, clawing a Calormene. Then there is another flash of flight and Jill, clean and dressed in Narnian clothes, falls into Eustace's arms. The only thing remaining from her previous outfit is the ring, now polished to a shine. She wakes up a moment afterwards, shaking her head like a dog when it's wet. "Huh?" Eustace held her close while he explained. "We're somewhere- not a clue where it might be, and this is everybody else. That's Susan over there. You look awfully pretty. Not that you didn't before, but it's a lot easier to see it when you're all clean and look about 4 years older." Jill laughs. "You look older too, silly!" Everyone is jittery, but they wait.

_This is the bit that everyone knows from the book, so I'm not going to bother including it. Susan sees Aslan again and believes. They all go to His Country. That's where we begin again._

It was a happy reunion, of old friends and families. Lucy starts crying when she sees all of her old friends. She hugs as many of them as she can reach, marveling at the place she finds herself in. Everything seems to be perfect her. She even stops and buries her head and arms into Aslan's mane while he's talking with Frank and Helen. He stops for a moment to give her a return hug, and then continues his conversation. Eustace is meeting old friends he knew, making jokes and speaking with a large herd of horses he used to be friends with. He is a spot of blue and green and mail amid a sea of sleek brown horse. Susan is already looking healthier then when they first arrived. The bright color is back in her face and she is meeting people and introducing herself to others. Peter is hugging his lost wife, and Aunt Polly and Uncle Digory are chatting away with Fledge. After about an hour everyone starts sitting down on the grass, waiting for Aslan. He looks out over the massive crowd, and speaks. "My people. To those who had to witness our beloved land fall, I sincerely hope that this place may replace it in your hearts. I know that many of your desire to return to your natural homes and I give you leave to go. I need to speak to the Kings and Queens of Narnia." Everyone stands, and starts heading out the gate. Eustace and Jill stand near Lucy, unsure of where they should go. Luc turns to them. "I'll ask Him where you will stay." Aslan waits until everyone has regrouped and continues. "I know that all of you have ruled Narnia at one time of another. But I ask that you should let the High King and his brother and sisters rule this Narnia. Everyone else will also live at Cair Parevel, acting as ambassadors to Archenland and the Lone Islands. Others will be generals for the Army. Can everyone agree to this?" All agreed and Aslan sent them on their way. "if you hurry, you can make it to Cair Parevel before night falls." Eustace and Jill had a long talk on the way back. "Do you want to keep going out, even now that everything's so… different?" Jill laughed into the clear night air and slipped her hand into Eustace's. "Eustace, being with you is kind of like…breathing for me. I don't think I would feel right if we didn't."

So it's been a long time now. There isn't really a track of days and such here. If I were to take a guess, I'd say it's been about five years. Eustace and I married Narnian style just after my nineteenth birthday. There's a little one on the way. Eustace is now tall, almost to Peter's height, and he has a serious air about him. But the look didn't change all this time. The look he gets whenever he sees me, the softening in his eyes, and the loving smile that still makes me warm inside. And the clear confidence that no matter what, he will always be here, so long as the stars dance across the heavens.


End file.
